Wire cable holders



Se t. 22, 1970 G, MaCDONALD 3,529,796

WIRE CABLE HOLDERS Filed June 14, 1968 INVENTOR Grmn/r fimbama BY Kan/T #0::-

' ATTORNEY United States Patent 7 Int. Cl. F16b 15/02; F16] 3/00 US. Cl. 248-71 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flat plate having nailingportions stamped out and extending upon the rear side. A wire bail is pivoted to lugs on the plate and engages over the wires of decorative lights and clips over an extending lug thus holding the wires firmly in place.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in wire or cable holders, and is designed specifically for use in the fastening of decorative lights to building structures and the like.

Such decorative lights normally are manufactured in strings in which the lights are spaced apart along a double twisted, flexible cable.

It is, conventional to attach these to buildings and the like 'by means of nails, hooks, and other fastening means, none of which are adapted to clamp the wire firmly against the building. The weight of the lamp and the lamp holder is such that there is a.tendency to pull away from the hook or nail and it is therefore difficult to obtain the necessary tension within the flexible cable so that the lamps are positioned where desired and are inclined in the desired direction.

Furthermore, hooks and nails are unsightly on a building and usually rust. There also exists the possibility of damage occurring to personnel such as painters, window washers and the like, due to the fact that the nails or hooks extend outwardly from the building face.

The present device overcomes all of these disadvantages inasmuch as it is easily secured to the building and the wire cable is then easily detachably secured to the holder so that it can be removed and replaced readily.

The bail Wire clipis easily manipulated in cold weather when one is wearing mitts, gloves, and the like, so that the problem of erecting Christmas lights or other decorative lights upon a building is minimized.

With the foregoing considerations in view, and such other objects, purposes or advantages as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of the inventive concept exhibited in the method, process, construction, arrangement of parts, or new use of any of the foregoing, herein particularly exemplified in one or more specific embodiments of such concept, reference being had to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of my device.

FIG. 2 is an end view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front plan view showing, the device in Use.

'In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the difierent figures.

Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail, I prefer to manufacture the device from flat sheet steel so that a body portion consists of a planar rectangular portion having triangular portions 11 stamped 3,529,796 Patented Sept. 22, 1970 therefrom along two sides and bent along the third side at right angles to the plane of the body portion 10. These triangular portions 11 extend upon the rear side 12 of the body portion 10 and enable the device to be hammered into a window frame strip 13 or some such similar portion of the supporting structure such as eave, facia boards.

Substantially rectangular portions 14 are also stamped from the body portion 10 and are angulated at right angles to the plane of the body portion 10, extending upon the front side 15 thereof so that they form ears or lugs in spaced and parallel relationship from one with the other, adjacent the lower edge of the portion 10.

A resilient 'bail wire 16 is provided having out turned ends 17 which engage apertures 18 formed in the lugs 14 so that the bail wire can be pivoted upwardly and downwardly therein.

The sides 17 incline inwardly as at 19 and then extend in spaced and parallel relationship as at 20, terminating in the common junction or apex 21.

The portion 22 of the spaced and parallel legs 20 is angulated outwardly as shown in FIG. 2 thus forming a part easily grasped by ones fingers during operation.

Also formed integrally with the body portion 10 and extending at right angles upon the front side thereof is a bail retaining lug 23 having a shouldered portion 24 formed in the side edges thereof as shown in FIG. 3 thus enabling the bail wire portions 20 to be snapped over the circular end 25 of the lug 23 and engage within the shoulders 24.

In operation, the devices are secured to the supporting framework 13 in the desired relationship by hammering the face of the portion 10 thus driving the triangular portion 11 into the surface of the wood so that the portion 10 lies flat on the surface of the wood.

The bail wire 16 is disengaged from the lug 23 and the flexible cables 26 are passed across the body portion as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 whereupon the bail wire 16 is snapped upwardly and over the lug 25 thus holding the wires firmly between the legs 20 of the bail wire and the body portion 10.

Removal is a simple reversal of the procedure, it merely being necessary to disengage the bail wire from the lug so that the wire or cable 26 falls clear. Thus the placing and removal of decorative lights is facilitated, which is of particular importance due to the fact that such work is almost invariably carried out under severe winter conditions.

Various modificatons can be made within the scope of the inventive concept disclosed. Accordingly, it is intended that what is described herein should be regarded as illustrative of such concept and not for the purpose of limiting protection to any particular embodiment thereof, but that only such limitations should be placed upon the scope of protection to which the inventor hereof is entitled, as justice dictates.

What is claimed to be the present invention is:

1. A holder for releasably fastening an electrical condoctor to supporting structure, said holder comprising an elongated flat plate having front and rear surfaces, a pair of longitudinal edges and a pair of end edges, a pair of longitudinally spaced apertured ears struck out from the center region of one longitudinal edge portion of said plate and projecting forwardly from the front surface of the plate at points spaced longitudinally inwardly from the end edges of the plate, a laterally notched keeper lug provided centrally on the other longitudinal edge of the plate and also projecting forwardly from the front surface of the plate, a substantially U-shaped conductor retaining bail formed from resilient Wire and swinga'bly disposed forwardly of said plate, said bail having a pair of end portions pivotally journalled in said apertured ears and also having a b ight portion releasably lockable With said laterally notched keeper lug, and a pair of poined prongs struck out from the end portions of said plate and projecting rearwardly from the rear surface of the plate at points adjacent the plate end edges the end portions of said plate equipped with said prongs being disposed completely laterally outside of said bail and constituting impact-receiving regions whereby said prongs may be driven into supporting structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1933 Aanerud 24--248 X 5/ 193 3 Feder 24248 2/193 6 McLaughlin 24248 X 4/ 1943 Teas 24871 2/ 1961 Balbach 24868 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

